Ansty Village – St James’ Church

 

A brief synopsis of St James’ Church, Ansty

In 1211, during the reign of King John, Walter de Turberville gave the manor of Ansty to the Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.

The Knights settled in Ansty, formed a small Commandery and, with a group of local helpers, began to build the present church.

The church was completed in 1230 and dedicated to St James.

A booklet is available in the church for those who would like to have a more detailed history of the church and Ansty.

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St James, Ansty is part of the South Area of the Nadder Valley Team Ministry.

Team Rector:      The Rev’d. Dr. Graham Southgate (01722 870312)

Churchwarden:    Vacant

Verger:                 Mr. John Oldfield (01747 871119)

Church services are now to be held twice a month (except on the rare occasions when St James hosts an Area Communion Service on a 5th Sunday of the month).

The monthly pattern of services is as follows: 

• 1st Sunday    No Service
• 2nd Sunday   Parish Communion (Common Worship with Hymns)
• 3rd Sunday    No Service 
• 4th Sunday    All-Age Communion (with hymns)
•  
• When there are five Sundays in the month, a service of Holy Communion is held in one of the South Area churches.

Evening Prayer is said in the church every Monday at 5.30 pm.

Dates (2023) for your calendar: NOVEMBER

Services at St James, Ansty

A decision was taken to reduce the number of services we hold at St James’ to just two per month. It is very sad. Over the winter the cost of heating the church is a cost we can’t take just now. Next summer the situation will be reviewed. The new service rota started on January 1st 2023 and remains in force. 

• Indeed, the decline of the St James’ Church Services is reflected throughout the Nadder valley benefice. Out of 16 local village churches, only half of them run a full monthly programme. It won’t be too long before some of these fine old buildings with extraordinary long histories could become redundant – truly knocking the central heart out of the village they are located in. Perhaps the wider village communities could somehow pitch in with the dwindling church communities and help to avoid this happening?

 

• The latest Quinquennial Inspection Report (looking at the internal and external fabric of St James’s Church building highlighted a whole list of issues one might associated with such an old building. A schedule of works has been drawn up to try and rectify some of the problems and detailed architect plans drawn up to show the areas of most concern. Lesley Simm was visiting the architect on 4th November 2022 to discuss the schedule of works and tendering a contract. Lesley stated this will take some time but is hoping that work may start in the summer of 2023. Lesley added that it will be quite a big undertaking and at some stage the church will have to be emptied because all the lower concrete rendering inside the church has to come off and be replaced. Perhaps some of the services will be held in the open air!

We hope to have more for you in the coming weeks and months. 

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Timothy George Plumptre 1945-2023 (posted 08-11-2023)

Timothy George Plumptre, a much-loved resident of Ansty died on 16th October 2023, aged 78, following a catastrophic fall at his home. Tim’s funeral service took place at St Peter’s Church in the nearby parish of Swallowcliffe on November 6th. The service was conducted by the Reverend Canon David Durston. Click here for more details of the ceremony.

 

 

 

Ansty Village said goodbye to Juliette Foy of Ansty in August 2023. 

Juliette Foy of Ansty. 1956 – 2023 Obituary.  (updated 23-08-2023)

Juliette Gabrielle Ghislane Foy died peacefully after a long illness on 17th July 2023 at the age of 67. Her funeral service was held at 2 p.m. on 23rd August 2023 at St James, Ansty. It was a warm, sunny afternoon; the churchyard was pristine and the building itself was packed with mourners and a sizeable overspill were accommodated outside listening to the service. A short funeral cortege walked slowly from Juliette’s home in Ansty, along the High Street to her final resting place at St James’ Ansty. Donations were collected in aid of St James’ Church, Ansty. After the service, Juliette’s family invited all in attendance to join them for light refreshments at The Royal Oak, in Swallowcliffe.  Click here to read the full obituary.

 

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